"Queenie. She's got leave. She'll be here today. At four o'clock." "Don't you want to see her?" "No, I don't." "Then you'd better drive over to Kingden and look at those bullocks of Ledbury's." "I don't know anything about bullocks. They ought to be straight lines from their heads to their tails. That's about all I know." "Never mind, you'll have gone to look at bullocks. And you can tell Ledbury I'm coming over to-morrow. Do you mind driving yourself?" Colin did mind. He was afraid to drive by himself; but he was much more afraid of Queenie. "You can take Harry. And leave me to settle Queenie." Colin went off with Harry to Chipping Kingden. And at four o'clock Queenie came. Her hard, fierce eyes stared past Anne, looking for Colin. "Where's Colin?" she said. "He had to go out, but he'll be back before dinner." Presently Queenie asked if she might go upstairs. As they went you could see her quick, inquisitive eyes sweeping and flashing. The door of Colin's room stood open. "Is that Colin's room?" "Yes." She went in, opened the inner door and looked into the gable room. "Who sleeps here?" she said. "I do," said Anne. "You?" "Have you any objection?" "You might as well sleep in my husband's room." "Oh no, this is near enough. I can tell whether he's asleep or awake." "_Can_ you? And, please, how long has this been going on?" "I've been sleeping in this room since November. Before that we had our old rooms at the Manor. There was a passage between, you remember. But I left the doors wide open." "Oh no, this is near enough. I can tell whether he's asleep or awake." "Can you? And, please, how long has this been going on?" "I've been sleeping in this room since November. Before that we had our old rooms at the Manor. There was a passage between, you remember. But I left the doors wide open." "I suppose," said Queenie, with furious calm, "you want me to divorce him?" "Divorce him? Why on earth should you? Just because I looked after him at night? I _had_ to. There wasn't anybody else. And he was afraid to sleep alone. He is still. But he's all right as long as he knows I'm there." "You expect me to believe that's all there is in it?" "No, I don't, considering what your mind's like." "Oh yes, when people do dirty things it's always other people's dirty minds. Do you imagine I'm a fool, Anne?" "You're an awful fool if you think Colin's my lover." "I think it, and I say it." "If you think it you're a fool. If you say it you're a liar. A damned liar." "And is Colin's mother a liar, too?" "Yes, but not a damned one. It would serve you jolly well right, Queenie, if he _was_ my lover, after the way you left him to me." "I didn't leave him to you. I left him to his mother." "Anyhow, you left him." "I couldn't help it. _You_ were not wanted at the front and I was. I couldn't leave hundreds of wounded soldiers just for Colin."